Nguyen Thi Lo (English version)

n the definitions of history, there seems to be a sentence: 'History is documents written by historians and then constantly rewritten.' It seems that this definition is correct in the case of NguyenTrai and Nguyen Thi Lo.Regarding the Master of Etiquetteand Rites in the Le Thai Tong Dynasty, historian Ngo Si Lien commented: 'Female beautyharms people too much. Thi Lo ws just a woman, Thai Tong loved her and must die, Nguyen Trai married her and his whole family was destroyed. Is it okay if we don’t take precautions?' This, as people often say, is an unfair and contemptuous view of women from a feudal historian. But for what reason, even in the story of Snake’s Vengeance, does the folk author cruelly put all the blame on the woman?Regarding Nguyen Trai, King Tu Duc of the Nguyen Dynasty commented: 'During the reign of Le Thai Tong, the king was indulgent, and his servants were autocratic. If Trai was a sage person, he should have retreated early and hidden his whereabouts to maintain his reputation. Yet he welcomes the king and lets his wife indulge in wanton and shameless acts. So Trai’s disaster was self-inflicted. How can that be called a wise person?' For many generations of Vietnamese intellectuals, the above discussion is considered a golden rule. But then time shows that the golden rule also deforms! Is Nguyen Trai a wise person? Knowing all the sages of the past, knowing Khuat Nguyen, Truong Luong, Ngu Tu Tu, Van Chung, Pham Lai. Knowing Chu Van An and also knowing Tran Nguyen Han and Pham Van Xao, but Nguyen Trai knew himself better because he was a sage and dedicated person. The Trai Vai case is an inevitable tragedy that affects all humanity when autocratic regimes rule. Nguyen Trai and Nguyen Thi Lo were the stepping stones for the nation to reach freedom!Historical texts are not dead documents but are mirrors from which people must look to recognize the portrait of themselves and their times. The writer, in the original meaning of the word, is the conscience of the nation and the era, with the task of deciphering the silent mirror of history to bring light to illuminate the path forward for the nation. That is a noble spiritual mission that many people dream of. But it is extremely difficult to accurately decode the ancient book and it does not mean that everyone can succeed.NguyenThi Lo novel is one of the ways to decode history. How to evaluate it, is up to the time.Saigon, Autumn of Giap Than yearHa Van Thuy